STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- DoSI in Stapleton has a new bistro-style menu. Offerings are scaled back and priced considerably less than those on the original, "nouveaux" Italian menu introduced to us about two years ago. Let's set the record straight: This is my idea of a quintessential three-star eatery. DoSI is a serious borough restaurant where everything is made from scratch, where the chef fetches seasonal ingredients from farmers markets and where there's a story for just about everything on the menu. Yes, those asparagus spears are from the Garden State. Yes, those so-called "mountain berries" on the dessert roster hail from some Pennsylvania farm stand chef Warren Schierenbeck happened upon over the weekend. Since the food is serious, let's have a straight-faced conversation on what Schierenbeck is doing here. It would be safe to categorize him as a guy who cooks with contrasts. There's a crunch-on-creamy thing going on throughout the menu. A texture tinkering with, for example, whole pistachio nuts sprinkled over ricotta salata in a red beet salad. In another instance -- this time on a special salad -- a thick, circular slab of seedless watermelon was cut-punched and partnered with creamy goat cheese crumbles, almond slivers and tender baby arugula tossed with mild balsamic vinaigrette. There is a wonderful salt-on-sweet contrast happening here. See this most clearly with prosciutto/fig pizza and, on a separate dish, sunnyside-up eggs plated over asparagus. The egg entree sported thick, slab-cut strips of smokehouse bacon and well-seasoned hollandaise sauce over a lightly toasted wedge of orangey panettone. We cannot forget a pork treatment that falls into this category of salt-on-sweet: Pulled pork rubbed with coffee, honey and sugar. It debuts as a panini topped with Provolone and crunchy grilled onions. Another pairing uses soft Mascarpone cheese with firm, pruned sugarplums. It's a savory/bittersweet combination that makes sense. That sugarplum dessert, like so many of the dishes at DoSI, seems simple. But the reality is that every item gets produced by way of a process, a layering upon layering of flavor and seasoning. For instance, those sugarplums were macerated in red wine from a batch of Greenmarket produce. And figs went a similar preservation route during the season's peak when they were pressed into a thick, jammy paste. For fans of cracker-like pizza, DoSI's brand of dough is outstanding. Made to pita thinness, it is flavorful and crunchy. Mind you, we're talking about a gourmet variety of pie, something that looks like an oblong pissaldiere, where toppings can be vertically sliced, skin-free sausage, a mellow, homemade fig paste with a super-crunch from copious fig seeds (yum) and beautifully stinky, demure-tasting Taleggio melted beneath Jersey asparagus and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. With appetizers, referred to as "plates," a single, flame roasted red pepper is topped with fried parsley folded around nutty farro, poached calamari rings and black olive slivers. It was a little shy on calamari but beautifully flavored. Salads can be basic (a "simple" one features greens tossed with paper-thin ribbons of fennel and cherry tomato) or more complex (Asian pear with firm squares of caciocavallo cheese, shallots and arugula dressed with pungent, aged balsamic vinegar). Translucent, half-moons of ravioli are stuffed with chicken and spinach. Gnocchi are crafted from potato, egg and flour then served steaming hot with smoked, melted mozzarella and fresh tomato sauce. On our visits, the dining room was sparsely populated. Service was certainly well-above average but lean -- we would be concerned about nights that the restaurant gets slammed with such a scaled-down staff. And there are a few quibbles on food, mainly with grittiness in fresh cauliflower bits sauteed with breadcrumb and in a separate dish of sea scallops. In the bigger picture, the DoSI concept is a brand of dining we hope more people in the borough come to enjoy. - James P Yates A Meal to Remember at DoSi Caffe I had the good fortune to visit DoSi Caffe on Bay Street the other night as a guest of some friends. I had never been before, and was pleasantly surprised to find the atmosphere as warm as the service which sometimes seems to be a rare commodity on Staten Island. The warmth and attention that the DoSi staff showers on its guests shines through in Chef Warren Schierenbeck's food which everyone agree was excellent. My host had arranged for a couple of special plates, rather than ordering off the menu, but we had generous helpings of antipasti, pasta, steak and bronzino, all followed by dessert. Needless to say, I went home more than a little full. One dish in particular was such a stand out that I pleaded with owners, JoAnn Libretti and Chef Schierenbeck, to part with it so that I could share it with you. You'll find the decadent recipe Click Here but you should really go to DoSi to try it for yourself -- all you foodies can call it empirical research. Enjoy! And remember when you visit to let them know the SIREN sent you! - Gruf / Siren Critics' Pick With its miniature pine trees wrapped in tiny white lights and spiraling wrought-iron doorframe, this spiffy Italian spot gleams on a dark and dreary strip of Bay Street. DoSi stands for Downtown Staten Island, a 21st century moniker created in hopes of bringing a little Soho to the North Shore of the island. The brick-walled dining room is ever-toasty via the flickering hearth adorned by a stone Victorian lion head. Decorative touches like arches of glimmering copper above the picture windows and warm, cherry wood-stained floors and chairs amp up the cozy factor. Best, the modern-Italian menu offers creative fare that will hold your attention, such as the ravioli "lollipop" starter that wraps savory ground chicken and Swiss chard in slip-thin pasta dough on a long bamboo toothpick, and the daily risotto that manages to maintain both texture and creaminess (especially lovely with sage, chicken stock, and cubes of butternut squash). Desserts aren't phoned in, either; all are homemade, like the simultaneously soft and crumbly rich hazelnut chocolate cake and the basket of wrapped and beribboned homemade biscotti, yours for the taking on the way out. - Amy Zavatto DINING OUT: DoSI does it by Pamela Silvestri Impressive atmosphere, service, and kitchen set new standard for fine dining on the borough. Warren Schierenbeck is talented. At the new DoSI, this chef is presenting Staten Islanders with creative, downright artful dishes that are refreshing spins on Italian food. At times, Schierenbeck offers a controlled re-crafting of basic dishes. For instance, classic baked clams became a row of five topnecks capped with shrimp. Rather than filling the shell with stuffing, buttered garlicky breadcrumbs were spread on the plate as an anchor for the clams. One gets a mouthful of fish rather than crumb. Briny puttanesca sauce was a surprisingly subtle backdrop to pyramid-shaped "ravioli lollipops." These pasta purses, arranged single file on a rectangular dish, were folded around ground chicken and Swiss chard then playfully poked with bamboo skewers threaded together with a scallion green. Schierenbeck also lets basic dishes stay appropriately basic. Onion soup that relies on a beautiful beef-veal stock and melted Gruyere cheese needs no tinkering. Black mussels cooked in pesto were appreciated mainly for the resulting copious broth. Excellent bread was left to shine on its own, untoasted and at room temperature. (We appreciated the good olive oil on the side and the copper bread basket, a detail that matched accents around the room.) However, Caesar salad made a mediocre showing despite tasty, citrus-touched dressing and fluffy housemade croutons. But we love spins on the ordinary at DoSI (pronounced "dough-see," it's short for "Downtown Staten Island"). For example, a substantial baby spinach salad was tossed with pickled red onions, diced prosciutto and a soft cooked egg split to display its molten center. Such a smart combination begged for a tidier presentation, even perhaps another egg. Veal chops were Frenched at the bone, arranged over beautifully braised escarole and paired with tempura-fried hot cherry peppers. Very nicely done. Housemade pastas were near perfect. Gnocchi were firm outside and supple inside. As an entree, it was mixed with crabmeat, arugula and what was described as "truffled fondue." When mixed with fresh herbs, it takes a big role as sidekick to crispy-skinned, baked chicken with 40 clove garlic sauce. Translucent strands of pappardelle topped with ricotta salada crumbles wove through tender, stewed veal chunks and mushrooms. Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe was incredibly salty, perhaps unnecessarily complicated by gorgonzola cheese, an ingredient omitted from its menu description. But "Surf 'n' Turf" ravioli made up for that little ear foible with delicate, flavorful chemistry: It had a short rib-shrimp stuffing. Lunch in DoSI's sunny dining room was quite enjoyable, an ideal stage for power meals and for the ladies-who-lunch crowd. There were satisfying items such as overstuffed paninis, thick burgers and succulent shredded pork butt piled on a heavily seeded, soft bun. Desserts were limited at times but excellent and, best of all, housemade. The best sampled was a slice of zucchini olive oil cake with gently frosted crust and a fried, barely sugared zucchini chip plugged into fresh whipped cream. It had the super-moistness of banana bread (obviously without banana) and awesome crunch from walnuts. Bread pudding was a neat, buttery cupcake shape over creme anglaise speckled with coffee grinds. Pulling off a restaurant of this caliber involves hands-on ownership, a love for fussing over details and strong management. Owners Jodi Guagliardo and JoAnn Libretti appear to have all of this. And although things aren't perfectly consistent at DoSI, we're seeing a very fine start here in many respects. For instance, DoSI makes a good first impression where a professionally dressed adult (Guagliardo, Libretti or a floor manager) greets at the door and works the tables. In the evening, the bar is tended with competence. Servers have clean, organized uniforms, a little unusual because of a mustard colored shirt that works thoughtfully with the decor. The phone is answered with a brief, cheerful greeting. And best of all, servers seem to catch the kitchen's enthusiasm (i.e. they have respectable knowledge of ingredients and cooking preparations, etc.) Food should be hotter. Service needs to be a bit crisper. And while the talents of weekend entertainers are commendable, I think this feature very much distracts from the overall class DoSI already exudes. Little gifts from the kitchen -- baba ganoush or white bean puree over toasted bread slices -- were wonderful touches. However, toppings would have been better at room temperature instead of chilled. Still, DoSI's menu keeps winter in mind. Classic stocks and rich sauces are the background for beautiful meals. I hope the chef will bend with the seasons without becoming overly ambitious and subsequently changing core offerings. With its delightful atmosphere, lovely hospitality and impressive kitchen, DoSI sets a new standard for fine restaurants on Staten Island. Contact AWE restaurant critic Pamela Silvestri at silvestri@siadvance.com DoSI Caffe 695 Bay St., Stapleton 718-420-0091 Stapleton 3-1/2 stars Food: Modern Italian/American Service: Friendly and attentive. Atmosphere: Romantic setting at night with warm lighting; pleasant light-filled dining room by day.